At that moment, Mara's figure vanished.
"Hm?"
Finn frowned slightly, scanning the area vigilantly for any trace of Mara.
But he found nothing.
"Did he run away?"
Finn muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping across the desolate battlefield in search of anything Mara might've left behind.
As he continued searching, he suddenly sensed an odd fluctuation behind him—an anomaly in the fabric of space.
Alerted by the disturbance, Finn narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he roared, "Get out of here!!"
In a split second, he spun around, violent energy condensing in his hands before unleashing it at the void.
BOOM!!!
The explosion of power rocked the battlefield, distorting the space around it—but there was still nothing there.
Finn's expression darkened.
There was no way Mara had inflicted that level of damage on "June 17"—a high-ranking operative of S.W.O.R.D.—with just one strike earlier. No, Mara was lurking, waiting, biding his time like a predator. Finn could feel it.
He clenched his fists tighter, sensing the power surge within. His instincts were screaming.
If you won't come out... then I'll drag you out myself.
A cruel grin formed on his lips as energy continued to surge around him, growing more volatile by the second.
BANG!!!
Finn slammed his fists into the void again.
BOOM!!
A massive energy shockwave erupted from the impact, sweeping across the ruins in a violent storm. But this time—
His strike was blocked.
"What...?"
Finn's eyes narrowed. He immediately leaped back, instinct guiding him before thought could catch up.
And then came a voice—low, cold, and seething with murderous intent.
"As expected of humanity's strongest. You're powerful... but today, you're going to die."
HUMMMM!!!
A blood-red vortex tore open the air itself, and from its core, a figure emerged—slowly, confidently.
Finn's eyes widened. He gritted his teeth.
"You!!"
It was Mara—the being who had disappeared without a trace.
"Surprised to see me again?"
Mara sneered, his crimson cloak billowing unnaturally as if feeding off the residual energy in the atmosphere. His eyes were devoid of humanity, now glowing with otherworldly malice.
"Cut the bullshit. Come on."
Finn exhaled sharply, forcing down the anger boiling inside him. With a flash of motion, he charged.
WHOOSH!!!
He closed the distance in an instant, slamming a fist toward Mara's chest.
"Jie Jie... perfect timing. Just what I was hoping for."
Mara let out a bone-chilling laugh and met Finn head-on.
BOOM!!
Their collision unleashed a concussive wave of raw energy. The shock rippled across the terrain, leveling stone columns and turning ancient battleground ruins into dust.
WHOOSH!
Both fighters were blasted backward, skidding across the broken ground before stabilizing.
STEP! STEP!
They locked eyes, their auras flaring.
"That physical defense... stronger than I imagined," Finn thought, surprised by the resistance Mara had offered.
In previous encounters, Finn would've been overwhelmed by Mara's raw strength. But not this time. Not only did he withstand it—he actually had the upper hand.
Mara smirked, wiping a thin line of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Seems I underestimated you."
He had thought this would be a simple assassination—crush Finn, end the threat to his Ascendant Project, and disappear. But Finn wasn't just holding his own—he was growing stronger by the second.
"Right back at you," Finn said. "I'm guessing you've absorbed some kind of forbidden power. Otherwise, there's no way you'd have jumped in strength like this."
Mara's grin widened. "You're not wrong. I did borrow a bit of strength... enough to erase you from existence."
Finn's pupils contracted. That confirmed it.
"Then tell me," Finn said grimly, "whose power did you steal?"
Mara chuckled darkly. "You're asking too many questions. All you need to worry about now... is dying."
There was no mistaking the bloodlust in his voice.
"Death?"
Finn smirked coldly. "Let's see whose funeral it'll be."
SWISH!!!
Finn's skin flushed red, pulsing with surging heat. Energy flooded his frame, making the air around him ripple like molten steel.
BOOM!
He blasted off his right foot, rocketing forward like a warhead. His fist glowed white-hot, aimed straight at Mara's face.
"What a fierce aura," Mara muttered. "I really did misjudge you."
He raised his palm and struck back.
SSHHHH!!!
The impact was instantaneous. Light and shadow danced wildly as their powers clashed again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The battlefield became a warzone. Each punch detonated with the force of artillery, throwing dust and stone into the air like volcanic ash.
Both combatants were forced backward, their feet carving trenches into the ground.
STEP. STEP. STEP.
Finn's breath came heavy, but his eyes were clear—calculating.
Mara's power had increased drastically, far beyond what he expected. The aura he now wielded felt ancient—tainted by something not of this Earth.
Mara was giddy.
"You're strong, Finn... but your limits are clear. Now that I've enhanced myself with the essence of the Crimson Bands, you don't stand a chance. I'll crush you—like the failed prototype you are."
Finn narrowed his gaze. The Crimson Bands—artifacts tied to the Dark Dimension, long sealed by Doctor Strange. If Mara had tapped into their chaotic magic, that would explain the sudden spike in his power.
"You're delusional if you think that's enough."
Finn let out a battle cry, his body disappearing into an afterimage.
BANG BANG BANG!!!
Once more, they clashed violently. Thunderous echoes ripped through the sky, and the energy surges cracked the very bedrock of the battlefield.
BOOM!!!
The land around them collapsed. Craters formed. The sky turned a deep crimson as the violent clash of energy tore open micro-rifts in the atmosphere.
"DIE!!!"
Finn's fist gleamed like a star falling from the heavens. He launched it at Mara, straight toward his chest.
"Nice try."
Mara hissed and stepped forward. In one swift movement, he summoned a black blade from the void—jagged, humming with necrotic energy.
It wasn't a sword of steel. It was forged from shadow. From pain. From the remnants of Dormammu's energy stored deep in the Forbidden Vaults.
BOOOOOOM!!!
------*--
1st Bonus Chapter - 200 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter -400 Power Stones
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